Daniel Stewart
Ryan Sisbarro
Who In History Most Resembles King Duncan?
The Historical Person Who Best Resembles Duncan
The historical figure who most resembles King Duncan in Shakespeare's Macbeth is Julius Caesar. Although there were many leaders in history who died at the hands of another, Julius Caesar most exemplifies King Duncan because both were considered to be divine leaders, both were killed by those whom they have (had) grown to trust, and both of their deaths were harbingers of grim events yet to come. (excellent intro.)
Both of Them Were Divine Leaders
In Macbeth, King Duncan is shown as possessing the characteristics of a divine being. During the Late Middle Ages, which is the time that the play takes place, the Scottish and English believed in the Divine Right of Kings, which essentially stated that the monarch of his country was chosen by God, and thus the king answered to God only and nobody else. There are several passages in Macbeth which delineate the divine characteristics of King Duncan. After King Duncan is murdered by Macbeth, Macduff, another nobleman in Duncan's court, discovers the murdered body of King Duncan, thus saying, "Most sacrilegious murder hath broke ope / The Lord's anointed temple, and stole thence / The life o' th' building." (2.3.69-71). By referring to King Duncan's body as The Lord's anointed temple, Macduff substantiates King Duncan's divine status in the play. Even Macbeth, the one who murdered Duncan, said, "Here lay Duncan, / His silver skin laced with his golden blood, / And his gashed stabs looked like a breach in nature" (2.3.112-114). Obviously, silver skin and golden blood are not characteristic of human beings. Only a heavenly being like King Duncan would possess these beau ideal qualities. Julius Caesar was also considered a divine leader in his time. After Caesar's untimely death, his successor, Augustus, built a temple at the spot where his body was cremated, naming it The Temple of the Divine Julius. By building this, Augustus wanted Roman citizens to acknowledge Caesar's deification due to his honorable death, as well as his incredibly strong and influential political career. It is for these reasons that both Julius Caesar and King Duncan are considered to be divine rulers. (Fantastic diction!)
Both Were Killed by Those That They Trusted
In death, King Duncan and Julius Caesar are quite similar in the sense that both were murdered by those whom they had trusted. Readers see that King Duncan, before being murdered, is quite trusting of Macbeth. This can be seen after Macbeth's victory over the rebel Macdonwald and the Norwegians in Act I of Macbeth. As a reward for protecting his kingdom, Duncan grants Macbeth the title of Thane of Cawdor. He tells Macbeth, "More is thy due than more than all can pay.(delete this period)" (1.5.21), expressing his strong gratitude and trust towards Macbeth. Julius Caesar too waskilled by his own friends. One of the masterminds behind the conspiracy to assassinate Caesar was one of Caesar's most trusted friends, Marcus Junius Brutus. Caesar allegedly said these famed words as he was about to be killed,(change this comma to a colon) "Et tu, Brute!", which means "And you, Brutus!". These famous words display his utter disbelief when he realizes that his closest friends have betrayed him, willing to take their friend's life for their own self gain. Because the murders of King Duncan and Julius Caesar at the hands of their comrades are results of horrible betrayals, they would be signs of unfortunate things to come.
Dark Events Follow the Deaths of Both of These Leaders
Following the assassinations of King Duncan and Julius Caesar, dark and ominous events occur. Shortly after Macbeth murders Duncan in his sleep, reports of unsettling occurrences arise. Outside Macbeth's castle, where the murder took place, an old man tells a nobleman named Ross of a perturbing event: "On Tuesday last / A falcon, tow'ring in her pride of place, was by a mousing owl hawked at and killed." (2.4.11-13). Ross replies, "And Duncan's horses--a thing most strange / and certain-- / Beauteous and swift, the minions of their race, / Turned wild in nature, broke against their stalls, flung out, / Contending 'gainst obedience, as they would make / War with mankind." (2.4.13-18) (This quote is more than three lines - it needs to be set off as a long quote.). Even more disturbing is the old man's response, who says concisely, "'Tis said they eat each other." (2.4.19). Each of these events is quite dark in nature, and they are reflective of the dark nature of King Duncan's murder. Following the death of Julius Caesar at the hands of the senators, civil unrest broke out. At Caesar's funeral, Marc Antony, a close friend of Caesar, delivered a fiery oration that greatly moved those that were present to hear it. A firsthand account says, "When the crowd were in this state, and near to violence, someone raised above the bier a wax effigy of Caesar - the body itself, lying on its back on the bier, not being visible. The effigy was turned in every direction, by a mechanical device, and twenty-three wounds could be seen, savagely inflicted on every part of the body and on the face. This sight seemed so pitiful to the people that they could bear it no longer. Howling and lamenting, they surrounded the senate-house, where Caesar had been killed , and burnt it down, and hurried about hunting for the murderers, who had slipped away some time previously." (Appian). This occurrence manifests the fact that because Caesar was murdered, unfortunate things will follow. The same goes for King Duncan, which shows that unfortunate incidents followed each of their deaths.
Why Julius Caesar is the Best Historical Representation of King Duncan
King Duncan and Julius Caesar possess three significant similarities that make Caesar the best historical representation of Duncan. Both of them were divine leaders, as was described in the play Macbeth and in The Temple of the Divine Julius. Both of them were killed by those they mistakenly trusted: Macbeth murdered Duncan and Caesar was murdered by Brutus and the senators. Finally, both of their deaths portended unfortunate events, as was shown with Duncan's horses eating each other, as well as the public frenzy resulting from Marc Antony's oration at Caesar's funeral. It is for these reasons that Caesar is the historical figure who most resembles King Duncan.
Ryan Sisbarro
Who In History Most Resembles King Duncan?
The Historical Person Who Best Resembles Duncan
The historical figure who most resembles King Duncan in Shakespeare's Macbeth is Julius Caesar. Although there were many leaders in history who died at the hands of another, Julius Caesar most exemplifies King Duncan because both were considered to be divine leaders, both were killed by those whom they have (had) grown to trust, and both of their deaths were harbingers of grim events yet to come. (excellent intro.)
Both of Them Were Divine Leaders
In Macbeth, King Duncan is shown as possessing the characteristics of a divine being. During the Late Middle Ages, which is the time that the play takes place, the Scottish and English believed in the Divine Right of Kings, which essentially stated that the monarch of his country was chosen by God, and thus the king answered to God only and nobody else. There are several passages in Macbeth which delineate the divine characteristics of King Duncan. After King Duncan is murdered by Macbeth, Macduff, another nobleman in Duncan's court, discovers the murdered body of King Duncan, thus saying, "Most sacrilegious murder hath broke ope / The Lord's anointed temple, and stole thence / The life o' th' building." (2.3.69-71). By referring to King Duncan's body as The Lord's anointed temple, Macduff substantiates King Duncan's divine status in the play. Even Macbeth, the one who murdered Duncan, said, "Here lay Duncan, / His silver skin laced with his golden blood, / And his gashed stabs looked like a breach in nature" (2.3.112-114). Obviously, silver skin and golden blood are not characteristic of human beings. Only a heavenly being like King Duncan would possess these beau ideal qualities. Julius Caesar was also considered a divine leader in his time. After Caesar's untimely death, his successor, Augustus, built a temple at the spot where his body was cremated, naming it The Temple of the Divine Julius. By building this, Augustus wanted Roman citizens to acknowledge Caesar's deification due to his honorable death, as well as his incredibly strong and influential political career. It is for these reasons that both Julius Caesar and King Duncan are considered to be divine rulers. (Fantastic diction!)
Both Were Killed by Those That They Trusted
In death, King Duncan and Julius Caesar are quite similar in the sense that both were murdered by those whom they had trusted. Readers see that King Duncan, before being murdered, is quite trusting of Macbeth. This can be seen after Macbeth's victory over the rebel Macdonwald and the Norwegians in Act I of Macbeth. As a reward for protecting his kingdom, Duncan grants Macbeth the title of Thane of Cawdor. He tells Macbeth, "More is thy due than more than all can pay.(delete this period)" (1.5.21), expressing his strong gratitude and trust towards Macbeth. Julius Caesar too was killed by his own friends. One of the masterminds behind the conspiracy to assassinate Caesar was one of Caesar's most trusted friends, Marcus Junius Brutus. Caesar allegedly said these famed words as he was about to be killed,(change this comma to a colon) "Et tu, Brute!", which means "And you, Brutus!". These famous words display his utter disbelief when he realizes that his closest friends have betrayed him, willing to take their friend's life for their own self gain. Because the murders of King Duncan and Julius Caesar at the hands of their comrades are results of horrible betrayals, they would be signs of unfortunate things to come.
Dark Events Follow the Deaths of Both of These Leaders
Following the assassinations of King Duncan and Julius Caesar, dark and ominous events occur. Shortly after Macbeth murders Duncan in his sleep, reports of unsettling occurrences arise. Outside Macbeth's castle, where the murder took place, an old man tells a nobleman named Ross of a perturbing event: "On Tuesday last / A falcon, tow'ring in her pride of place, was by a mousing owl hawked at and killed." (2.4.11-13). Ross replies, "And Duncan's horses--a thing most strange / and certain-- / Beauteous and swift, the minions of their race, / Turned wild in nature, broke against their stalls, flung out, / Contending 'gainst obedience, as they would make / War with mankind." (2.4.13-18) (This quote is more than three lines - it needs to be set off as a long quote.). Even more disturbing is the old man's response, who says concisely, "'Tis said they eat each other." (2.4.19). Each of these events is quite dark in nature, and they are reflective of the dark nature of King Duncan's murder. Following the death of Julius Caesar at the hands of the senators, civil unrest broke out. At Caesar's funeral, Marc Antony, a close friend of Caesar, delivered a fiery oration that greatly moved those that were present to hear it. A firsthand account says, "When the crowd were in this state, and near to violence, someone raised above the bier a wax effigy of Caesar - the body itself, lying on its back on the bier, not being visible. The effigy was turned in every direction, by a mechanical device, and twenty-three wounds could be seen, savagely inflicted on every part of the body and on the face. This sight seemed so pitiful to the people that they could bear it no longer. Howling and lamenting, they surrounded the senate-house, where Caesar had been killed , and burnt it down, and hurried about hunting for the murderers, who had slipped away some time previously." (Appian). This occurrence manifests the fact that because Caesar was murdered, unfortunate things will follow. The same goes for King Duncan, which shows that unfortunate incidents followed each of their deaths.
Why Julius Caesar is the Best Historical Representation of King Duncan
King Duncan and Julius Caesar possess three significant similarities that make Caesar the best historical representation of Duncan. Both of them were divine leaders, as was described in the play Macbeth and in The Temple of the Divine Julius. Both of them were killed by those they mistakenly trusted: Macbeth murdered Duncan and Caesar was murdered by Brutus and the senators. Finally, both of their deaths portended unfortunate events, as was shown with Duncan's horses eating each other, as well as the public frenzy resulting from Marc Antony's oration at Caesar's funeral. It is for these reasons that Caesar is the historical figure who most resembles King Duncan.